About me

I was diagnosed at 35 and like many late-diagnosed autistic people, have struggled to get on with the world despite putting in a lot of effort. Decades of masking, camouflaging, and attempting to deal with mental health problems with techniques designed for people with a different neurology have left me feeling lost and with a pretty rubbish sense of who I am.
 

After a varied career with lots of roles in various industries physical and mental health have forced me to reconsider and reconfigure my life.  I am a neurodiversity trainer, creating and delivering neurodiversity training in workplaces (in person and online).  I contribute to Autistic Radio Spectrum Voices Conversations on Sunday nights, 6 - 7.30pm UK time, and I'm involved in research projects and other projects to communicate the autistic experience to professionals.  We have presented at Ocalicon and provide insight to the Scottish Autism Network through the audio model.  
 

I am also passionate about the provision of mental health services which work for autistic people which is an area I hope to explore in the future. I write about autism (and other things) on Quora and am on the National Autistic Council's Autism insight panel.


I regularly participate in research studies through the Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge, and I am an ally with the non-speaking community through the I-ASC Spellers and Allies group.  In 2024 I hope to be trained to deliver their presentations to increase understanding and acceptance of different forms of communication - #EndCommunicationDiscrimination.


You can watch my story on the Women on the Spectrum interview series here, or for a longer listen, my podcast with My Trauma Is Chronic But I Am Iconic here.

Education and Courses

I have done the following training and courses on Autism and neurobiology:

Open University: Understanding autism - 2022

National Autistic Society 6 module support course - February 2022

University of Chicago: Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life (10 weeks) - August 2022

Durham University: Triple A In the Classroom short course - June 2023

University of Geneva: A Life With ADHD (5 weeks) - in progress October 2023

 

* I use the term "actually autistic" because society still perceives autism to be something that only applies to young boys.  I am often met with incredulity when I disclose my diagnosis.  The vast majority of the autistic community accepts self-diagnosis as valid because most of us understand that a diagnosis isn't accessible to everyone (for reasons such as cost, provision or service, backlash and problems arising from having such a diagnosis made formally, family dynamics and more).  I am only formally diagnosed because I could afford to pay for a private diagnosis with a professional specialising in diagnosing autistic women and girls.  If my situation was different, I wouldn't be any less autistic.  I support self-diagnosis, and I do not agree with gatekeeping the community and excluding those who, for whatever reason, do not have a formal diagnosis.  I am happy to answer questions and signpost to online assessments and places that can give a formal diagnosis if that is something you are seeking.

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